[Swprograms] White Paper on BBC - BBCWS section

[Mike Barraclough <softbulletin1@xxxxxxxxx>]

The Government has published its White Paper on the
BBC , the full White Paper can be downloaded at:
http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk

The section on BBC World Service is below:

The World Service should adapt to meet the complex
challenges posed by the major  shift in the listening
and viewing habits of its audiences in recent years as
a result of  the revolution in global satellite and
cable communications. 

The Government welcomes the restructuring of the World
Service announced in October  2005. The closure of ten
low impact vernacular services, mostly in Central and
Eastern  Europe, will free up resources to allow
greater investment in new media services, in
particular 
the launch of a 12-hour Arabic TV service. 

These new priorities were based on authoritative
research and evaluation of the existing services'
geo-political importance, the reach and impact of each
of its vernacular services, the  increased importance
of new technologies and changing audience preferences.
The valuable  contribution made over the years by
services which are to be closed has been widely 
acknowledged. But the world does not stand still. Nor
can the World Service. 

The World Service should expect the pace of change and
level of competition in international broadcasting to
increase. It will need to continue to adapt to these
changes and be ready,  where appropriate, to adjust
further and prioritise its range of vernacular
services. 

Carter review of Public Diplomacy 
Lord Carter?s review recommended a more strategic
approach to public diplomacy to be  coordinated by a
new Public Diplomacy Board. The Board will establish a
medium to long  term framework for the delivery of
public diplomacy outcomes which support the 
Government?s international priorities.  In recognition
of its editorial independence, the World Service will
have observer status  on the Board, which will include
the British Council and the Foreign and Commonwealth 
Office as members. 

As of March 2006, the World Service will offer
thirty-two vernacular radio services and eight  online
vernacular languages. The Green Paper outlined the
benefits of using the number of  online languages as
the baseline for review of vernacular services. The
World Service should  continue to pursue vigorously
its policy of expanding its presence on FM Radio
overseas 
and seek opportunities to make its vernacular services
more widely available to communities  in the UK. 

In setting its priorities, the BBC should assume that
pressure on all streams of public funding  will
increase with time, and there will be a need for
transparency about how resources are  allocated. The
World Service should also take into account the
challenges of developing  successful services in what
is, for the World Service, the new medium of TV. It
will be for the  World Service, in discussion with the
FCO, to decide its priorities and how expenditure
could 
be prioritised to allow for the development of new
services in priority countries. 


		
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